We’re a package deal – Tammy recovers with her son at Avivo

A mother of two boys, Tammy experienced the loss of her mother, which spiraled into addiction. Now, she’s reached recovery and she’s working toward a career goal of becoming a chemical dependency counselor.

Looking back on June 2024, that’s when a life changing sequence of events started. Tammy’s mother passed away, a devastating loss. She started drinking to cope.

She realized she needed to make a change. She frantically looked for treatment programs. But she had just one condition:

She was adamant about keeping her son Tony by her side.

“We’re a package deal,” she says. “If he couldn’t come, I wouldn’t go.”

“We’re a package deal,” she says. “If he couldn’t come, I wouldn’t go.”

Tammy says she was surprised about Avivo providing housing to patients. She had never seen a treatment program like it before.

“I think I literally called Avivo on a Friday, did my intake on Monday, and moved in on Tuesday. It was such a fast turnaround — awesome, honestly.”

Having the space and privacy for both her and Tony to recover together was exactly what she says she needed.

Upon Tammy’s enrollment with Avivo, Tony was struggling with his speech. Some initial assessments taken in Grand Rapids, where Tammy had moved from, showed that he was falling behind for a child his age.

The support and programs Avivo provides, Tammy says, are game-changers.

The time Tony spent in Avivo’s child development program, Avivo’s childcare program for parents in recovery programs, gave him time to catch up and to excel. He is now above average for his age.

Not only that, but he’s enjoying learning. Back in Grand Rapids, Tammy says he didn’t like the daycare he was a part of. Now, he loves it.

“They know your name and your child’s name,” she says. “You’re not just a number.”

“It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel after losing someone,” she says, “but since coming to Avivo, I’m laughing again. There’s a light I couldn’t see before.”

Six months after enrolling in Avivo’s programs, Tammy gave birth to another son, Kenneth, who shares the same birthday as her late mother.

Tammy is planning on graduating from Avivo’s programs in September. She says her dad is supportive of her progress, and that she’s trying to move closer to her family once she is finished.

“It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel after losing someone,” she says, “but since coming to Avivo, I’m laughing again. There’s a light I couldn’t see before.”

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